Les Diablerets • Swiss Winter Weekend for Families

We spent last weekend in the Vaud region in western Switzerland, which feels familiar and delightfully foreign at the same time since the language, food and culture are more French than German in this area.

This is a great ski area for families, with good slopes for beginners, a variety of terrain for all skill levels, and lots of fun extras. Keep reading to see details for all the activities we did over the weekend.

On this trip, I remembered how important special experiences are to make a holiday feel different from a regular ski day. The snowboarding was wonderful and we really enjoyed the Diablerets-Villars-Gryon ski resort. 

But what my kids will remember is the sledding in the dark, the big jumps at the fun park, the obstacle course at the pool, losing bread in the fondue, and watching their mom scream as we raced down toboggan run with our inner tubes linked together. So many good times!

Note: Thanks to Vaud Tourism and their partners Les Diablerets, Villars and Leysin for hosting this wonderful trip and showing us the best your region has to offer families. All opinions stated here are my own.

Video of our Vaud ski weekend

A short video from our Vaud ski weekend in February 2020.

How to get there

The Vaud alps region is in western Switzerland, southeast of Montreux.

We stayed in Les Diablerets and did winter activities at Villars-Diablerets-Gryon-Bex ski resort and nearby Leysin.

Here’s how to get to Les Diablerets where we stayed, but you can easily adjust this if you are staying in another village in the area. We really liked this quiet village as our base, more on that at the end of this post.

By car:

Drive to Aigle, then follow the two-lane mountain road to Les Diablerets. This is about 3hr from Zürich, about 1hr45 from Bern or Geneva. 

By public transport:

Take a train to Aigle, then board the green mountain train that leads to the Les Diablerets train station (small station, no services). Once in Les Diablerets, you can use taxis or local bus service to get to your hotel. This takes about 2hr40 from Geneva, 3hrs from Bern, and 4hrs from Zürich. 

Activities

1. Skiing at Les Diablerets-Villars-Gryon

This large resort combines three previously separate ski areas, now connected by lifts and slopes. We skied all over the resort over two days and quickly had some favorite runs. I think this would be a particularly nice place to learn to ski because there were so many snow garden areas for beginners (at least five), some open to all skiers, not just the ski school. 

Les Diablerets-Villars-Gryon ski resort
Address:	Les Diablerets – Chemin des Grandes Isles 21, 1865 Ormont-Dessus Villars – Route du Roc, 1884 Ollon  Gryon – Route de Solalex 31, 1882 Gryon
Suitable for:	absolute beginners to advanced intermediate skiers
Price (2020):	Day pass Adult CHF 56, Child CHF 33 (as part of family) Resort included in “Area Vaudoise Alpes” regional pass & Magic Pass
More info:	Villars-Les Diablerets

Here is the piste map for Les Diablerets-Villars-Gryon. They have several areas for beginners and the blue runs are mostly quite mild, not the case at every resort I’ve been to.

The red runs give a nice challenge for more advanced skiers. For even steeper black runs, best to visit the adjacent Glacier 3000 area on the left of the map, which is included when you buy the “Area Vaudoise Alpes” pass that covers multiple resorts in the area. See an interactive version of this piste map.

We really liked the super long run at Gryon from La Croix to Sodoleuvre.

The kids loved the fun park with jumps near Chaux Ronde. It wasn’t too extreme, so lots of regular kids were trying the jumps, not just experts.

I loved the long run off Grand Chamossaire with big mountain views, the highest point of the resort.

Here we are boarding towards Bretaye. You can see one of the beginner snow gardens to the right.

One of the beginner areas at the top of Mazot (where later we had fondue and did night sledding), some of my favorite mountain views of the trip here.

We spent a very nice afternoon on the mild slopes accessed from the Meilleret lifts in Les Diablerets.

I loved the picnic tables at the top of Meilleret, with some of the best views at the resort. If you bring a picnic, this is the spot to eat it!

Where to eat lunch

There are restaurants all over these mountains. Of course, we didn’t time to try them all. But I can definitely recommend Restaurant de l’Etable at bottom of the Sodoleuvre-Croix des Chaux lift on the Gryon side. Lucky we had a reservation, because this place was booked solid, clearly very popular. Very hearty and pretty French-Swiss food and super yummy desserts, including housemade ice cream (ginger was amazing), a fantastic apple tart and a chocolate trio with dense chocolate cake and mousse. We could barely roll out of there to do a few more runs before heading to the pool.

Reservations recommended: +41 (0)24 498 40 06 (they speak English, don’t worry)
See website for more info

Getting there

You can access this ski resort from three main areas:

• Les Diablerets – Diablerets Express gondola accesses ski resort. Multiple parking lots near Chemin des Grandes Isles 21, 1865 Ormont-Dessus
• Villars – Gondola from Villars-sur-Ollon to Roc d’Orsay to access ski resort. Main parking at Parking du Rendez Vous near gondola.
• Gryon – Gondola from Barboleuse – Les Chaux to access ski resort. Parking at small lot next to gondola (Route de Solalex 31, 1882 Gryon) and overflow parking in the village a short walk down the street at Parking Barboleuse (Place de Barboleuse 10, 1882 Gryon).  

All of these have large parking areas, but they can fill up quickly on busy days, so try to get there by 9:00. One of our readers told me that if you are booked with the ski school, you get priority on parking and the lifts so you can get to ski school on time. That’s a great benefit.

I found Les Diablerets the most convenient because all the lots are next to each other in big open flat part of the valley. Parking in Villars was confusing because the streets are narrow and winding and you can’t see the lots until you are right in them.

We got there a bit before 10:00 and all the lots were full and there were confusing detour signs. Villars is probably the busiest part of the resort in all aspects. So we kept driving to Gryon, where it was super easy to park in the free overflow lot. 

2. Night Sledding

My boys thought this was the best part of trip! It’s certainly a unique experience, sledding down a whole mountain in the dark. You can also do this sled run during the day, but at night, it’s more special. 

Location:	Diablerets Express gondola to Mazot
Address:	Chemin des Grandes Isles 21, 1865 Ormont-Dessus
Open:	Wed, Fri & Sat evenings from 18:30 to 20:00
Price (2020):	Sled rental CHF 20 One gondola ride CHF 15/adult, CHF 8/child Lift included with ski day pass, season pass or Magic Pass
Services:	sled rental on site, restaurant at top, WC
More info:	Night sledding at Les Diablerets

My boys loved it and begged to go again the next night, where they fit in two runs and were disappointed to just miss going up a third time.

As an adult, worried about potential injury, I was terrified most of the way and worried the rest of the way. But I’m still glad I did it and my boys thought my screams were hilarious. Anything to entertain!

Here is the map of the sled run, which is the nicest sled run we’ve ever done. It had snow built up high on the sides to help keep you on track, a very important safety feature.

You can get a lot of speed, but it wasn’t so steep like I’ve seen on some sections at Stoos & Elm. They had cleared groomed the trail before the night sledders started, so it wasn’t full of ruts from the daytime sledding.

Timing:

The gondola is open for sleds from 18:30 – 20:00. It takes about 30-40 mins to get down. Most people can do two runs, but if you hurry, you might fit in three runs before they close. If you are also having fondue at the top (see next section for info on that), you could do one or two sled runs, then have dinner, then sled down after that.

Sled rental:

You can rent sport sleds at two locations right next to the gondola. It’s best to reserve the sleds as sometimes they are sold out because of big groups. They offer different categories of sleds at different prices. The sleds pictured here with the wood rails cost CHF 20 per sled.

Centre ParAdventure
Rue de la Gare 50 1865 Les Diablerets
Tel : +41 24 492 23 82
info@swissaventure.ch

Mountain Evasion Sàrl
Chemin des Grandes Isles 21, 1865 Les Diablerets
Tel : +41 (0)24 492 12 32
info@mountain-evasion.ch

What to wear:

You must have a headlamp because the route is not lit and is pitch black. Bring your own or rent one for CHF 5. You should wear sturdy hiking boots with ankle support to help protect your ankles.

Best to wear winter gear: waterproof pants, warm jacket, gloves, scarf. I recommend a helmet as it can be a dangerous activity if someone runs into you or you get going too fast. 

3. Fondue dinner on the mountain

With or without night sledding, we definitely recommend the fondue dinner at Restaurant Mazot at the top of the Diablerets Express gondola, where the night sledding starts. I was surprised how full the restaurant was, clearly a beloved activity by many.

You check in with the host (our spoke English) and get a ticket, then you are shown to your table. Then you pick up your drinks from the self-service counter and pay for dinner at the cashier.

Then they bring your fondue and bread to your table. Very simple. The fondue was super delicious, loved it!

I’d plan for about 1 hr for dinner. If you want to do multiple sled runs, make your reservation for 20:00 and do one or two sled runs before dinner, then one more after dinner.

We ate at 19:00 and didn’t start our sledding until about 20:00, so we only got in one sled run that evening (which was plenty for me but my son wanted more).

Reservations recommended: +41 (0)24 492 10 23, lesmazots@diablerets.com

If you are having fondue, the sled companies will give you a chain and lock to secure your sled during dinner. Very helpful!

4. Swimming at Bains de Villars

There is nothing better than relaxing at the pool after a long day of skiing. Luckily there is a great indoor pool with wellness facilities, Les Bains de Villars, right in Villars-sur-Ollon, near the gondola.

The pool is part of a larger sports complex. The cashier is at the entrance to the complex, then you walk past the bowling to get to the entrance of the pool.

Location:	Route du Village 8, 1884 Villars-sur-Ollon
Open:	daily 9:00 – 20:00, until 21:00 on Fri & Sat (winter hours)
Price (2020):	Pool only CHF 10/adult, Child 6-15 CHF 8 Wellness + pool CHF 25/adult 16+ only
More info:	Les Bains de Villars

For the kids, it has a big lap pool with a fun floating obstacle course (weekends and holidays from 13:00-18:00) and a wading splash pool for little kids with sprays and mini slides.

Happily, my kids are older enough to manage themselves at the pool, while I went to wellness rooms. But parents could easily take turns managing the kids, sending one to relaxing for a bit, then trading places.

For adults (16 and over), there is a beautiful wellness facility, with saunas, steam rooms, relaxation rooms, icy cold plunge pool, and a heated outdoor pool with massage jets.

I particularly appreciated the box of sunglasses, free to use in the outdoor pool when the evening sun is blinding. Bathing suits are required in all wellness facilities, this is not a naked sauna, in case you were wondering.

What to bring:

Bring your swimsuit and your own towels. If you are coming directly from skiing, remember to bring fresh street clothes to change into after swimming instead of dressing back into your stinky ski clothes like I did. Sigh.

How to get there:

If you parked at the ski parking in Villars, it’s about a 500m walk to the pool, as shown on the map below. Otherwise, you can drive there and park nearby like we did. There is some 2hr blue wheel parking right near the entrance, but only several spaces. There is more street parking on the main road.

5. Tobogganing Fun Park Leysin

I’ve seen videos of this crazy fun park for years and have been desperate to go. But it’s just too far from Zürich for a day trip. So I was so glad to have this opportunity to try it, even though I found it terrifying. Of course, my boys loved it and slid down over and over until they were exhausted.

Location:	Route du Manège, 1854 Leysin
Open:	open mid-January through mid-March, hours vary widely, see website for details
Price (2023):	Adult CHF 30, Child CHF 20 discount with Magic Pass
Services:	cafe, lockers, WC
More info:	Toboganning Fun Park

There are several slides at varying degrees of steepness, rated just like ski slopes: blue, red and black. The blue ones are quite mild and they even have separate area with super short slides for little kids.

The red ones are super scary and plenty of thrill for our crew. None of us tried the black ones, too scary! Since entrance is limited, the lines and waiting times aren’t excessive.

Your entrance fee includes use of their inner tubes. There is a smaller size for kids and larger size for adults. You can ride single or linked with other tubes (we saw up to 4 tubes linked), which we preferred because you go faster, but also you don’t spin (which I liked!)

FYI, there’s a lot of walking as you walk from the end of the slide back to top. There is a magic carpet for the uphill portion, which helps. But still lots of walking, which made us so tired we were ready to go before our time was up. My son got a few thousand steps on his fitness watch, just walking here. So just be aware that little kids may tire out quicker than you expect.

Here’s a map of the park. We did mostly slides 4 & 5. The line for #3/360 was always long and we didn’t want to wait. But we finally did it at the end and it was worth the wait. You should definitely do that one at least once.

The 9/Big Air Bag and 10/Looping slides look like total madness and few people do them. They require an extra charge per use.

Tickets:

You buy a ticket for a specific day and 2hr time slot (10:00, 12:00, 14:00 & 16:00) and these often sell out weeks in advance. So reserve tickets ahead of time!

Everyone lines up at the entrance waiting for their time slot, while people from the previous time slot are hustled out. Children up to age 5 can use the mini sledding park outside the main area for CHF 5 for 1 hr. 

What to wear: It’s an outdoor venue so dress for the weather and bundle up if it’s cold. You’ll get warm from all the walking, but you’ll get chilled as you wait in line.

We were there on a warm day, so we didn’t need our ski jackets or gloves. I think it’s wise to wear a helmet, just in case. They have helmets on site you can use, but bring your own if you can. There are a few lockers on site, in case you need to stash valuables.

Services: There is a small cafe and WC outside of the tubing area and viewing areas with lounge chairs for non-tubers. 

6. Solacyre Winter Walk

A winter walk is a great option for those who don’t ski or aren’t currently skiing while they look after small children. It’s also nice to simply add some variety to your holiday.

This beautiful trail hikes up to a mountain hut where we had a fondue lunch, then looped back down, catching even more gorgeous mountain views.

This trail is a snowshoe trail when there is plenty of fresh snow. But if people have walked on it a lot, it’s possible with normal hiking shoes, like we did.

It wasn’t a particularly difficult trail, but you do gain over 300m in elevation, so I was breathing heavy.

Trail:	5.25 km, moderate
Address:	Carrière des Chamois parking (near intersection of Chemin de Prafandaz & Les Chamois)
Open:	During winter, the hut is generally open on weekends and every day during the February school holidays.
Services:	drinks and simple meals at hut, cash only!
More info:	Refuge de Solacyre info@solacyre.ch, +41 (0)79 334 34 07

Getting there: To access this hike, you drive through Leysin towards Prafandaz, parking at Carrière des Chamois, which is a small parking area on the side of the road (no charge). The trail starts to the right near the trail map and loops back here.

It was rather warm the day in late February when we were there. So there wasn’t a lot of snow at the beginning of the hike. But the higher we got, the more snow and by the time we reached the hut, it was a winter wonderland.

We saw a few families that brought sleds so they could sled back down the trail instead of walk. Jealous! Two groups came up on touring skis and skied back down the mountain. Takes all kinds I guess.

They have a small simple menu at the hut, but delicious food. My son had a yummy pumpkin soup with edible flowers. My other son and I had fondue because you can’t have too much fondue in the alps.

The hut was much busier than I expected, so many happy hikers getting refreshments. So you might want to reserve, especially if you want an outdoor table.

Where we stayed

Our home base was in Les Diablerets, a quiet village at the base on the mountains. Here’s a view of the village from the gondola. We really liked this location, particularly because accessing the ski resort was very easy and convenient.

We stayed at Hotel Les Lilas, a sweet little hotel & restaurant in Les Diablerets, conveniently located near the ski area. The staff were super friendly and helpful, especially when accommodating a couple changes to our program.

I loved our cozy room lined with wood, giving it that chalet feel, even though it was also well fitted with modern conveniences. We had a family suite, with a little sitting room and separate sleeping area for my boys.

The hotel restaurant was quite popular on weekend evenings, so best to make a reservation if you want to eat a specific time.

My boys enjoyed hearty classics like rösti and pasta bolo. I had a delicious bavette steak with shallot sauce and a salad with a breaded and baked local cheese.

Of course, we also had breakfast at the hotel and the kids loved eating their way through the plentiful fresh warm croissants. 

The evening views were my favorite as the warm sun lit up the little wood houses around the village.

Hotel Restaurant Les Lilas
Route du Pillon 125
1856 Les Diablerets
+41 (0)24 492 31 34
http://hotel-les-lilas.ch

Thanks again to Vaud Tourism and their partners Les Diablerets, Villars and Leysin for hosting this trip.